Raccoons living in urban landscapes are feasting on our leftovers and suffering the consequences.
Raccoons living in urban landscapes are feasting on our leftovers and suffering the consequences. Researchers at Laurentian University have examined how access to human food waste is increasing body mass and blood glucose in raccoon populations.
The study, recently published in the journal Conservation Physiology, was led by Dr. Albrecht I. Schulte-Hostedde, professor in evolutionary ecology at Laurentian University, in collaboration with assistant professor in obesity and metabolic disease research Dr. Jeffrey Gagnon.
“Urban environments are novel habitats for raccoons from an evolutionary perspective,” said Dr. Schulte-Hostedde. “We wanted to see if they are experiencing the same health problems as humans—obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome.”
“At Laurentian, there is a wealth of wildlife biologists and ecologists,” said Dr. Gagnon. “This collaborative study allowed me to provide expertise on how metabolism is affected during weight gain driven by a high fat and sugar diet.”
Continue reading at Laurentian University.
Image via Laurentian University.
